Eternal and Flawless
by SerpentineShadows
Summary: 14 "stories" about Percy and Annabeth. Centered around Annabeth.


**A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own the _Percy Jackson_ series or the definitions. Warnings: ****As mentioned on my profile, I'm not good with romance, so it's not the best. Also, #3 is weird and #11 has character death.**

**I also planned to publish this a lot earlier, but I had to rewrite a lot of them because I forgot to save.**

**By the way, I wrote #3 for Shadows while I was exhausted (and I had a headache), so it turned out extremely weird. Not only do I fail at romance, I also fail at humor, so be warned. There's also the fact that I wrote #3 for original characters Shadow created (though I did edit it).**

**The words themselves are random, but the first letter of each word isn't. Bring them all together, and they make two words. Enjoy!**

* * *

**1. Marry: to take someone as one's wife or husband in marriage**

They're walking together on the beach, holding hands. The sun is setting; the red orange sky is cloudless. The sea reflects the sky, orange and red mixing in with the sea blue. A breeze drifts around the mostly deserted beach. It's like they've plunged into a world separate from their reality, full of peace and quiet. For a second, Annabeth can fool herself into believing that they're an ordinary couple. That second is maddeningly fleeting.

Percy distracts Annabeth from her thoughts when he abruptly stops. Annabeth stands there, waiting. All of a sudden, Percy drops to his knees. He holds his hands out. A small black box lays on his palms. Annabeth stifles her gasp. She knows what this means. Percy reveals the ring inside, and it's beautiful. Almost as beautiful as the stupid grin he offers to Annabeth along with the ring. She can tell he's nervous, but he still perseveres. Annabeth already knows her answer before he asks the question.

"Annabeth, will you marry me?"

He's proposed to her on that deserted beach, and she wonders how long he's waited to do that. It's only the two of them surrounded by sand with the waves crashing on the shore. No one else is there to witness the event.

Someone out there in the world could've proposed much more flamboyantly, but Annabeth thinks the way Percy's proposed is perfect.

**2. Everlasting: lasting forever or for a very long time**

Annabeth stares out the window of the train. Green fields flash by in a blur of color. Her mind wanders and eventually lands on Percy. Sometimes, somewhere, deep in her heart she thinks, _Maybe this is all a big mistake_. Those moments are rare, and she squashes the thought each time it pops up. Regret follows soon after.

Still, she can't shake that thought. Annabeth's mind generates all sorts of scenarios, where either one of them could end up hurt. The result of their relationship holds a plethora of possibilities. _Only one of them holds a happy ending_, the pessimistic part of her says. That's what plagues her each time they separate. The happy ending is the one she wants, but the chance of it happening is highly unlikely.

The train pulls to a stop at the station. Methodically, Annabeth gathers her things and gets off the train. As usual, Percy is there to greet her. He waves her over. When she's within range, Percy pulls her close and pecks her on the lips.

"Welcome home," he whispers.

Annabeth's heart warms, a smile spreading across her face. She decides that they're fine as they are. Constantly thinking about the grim future won't do her any good because as far as she knows, she's already gotten her happy ending.

**3. Reconnaissance: military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features**

Annabeth glances behind her and notes with annoyance how slow Percy is. "Hurry up, you idiot," she shout-whispers.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Percy strolls through the trashy alleyway, still unbearably slow.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

"Yes, sir," he says, mock-saluting.

Because of Percy's adamant refusal to walk any faster, it takes an unreasonable amount of time for them to reach the dilapidated building that's supposedly holds Mr. Bird. He's supposedly a minor threat that's gradually gathering monsters together. Of course, the two of them are fully capable of waltzing in and beating up Mr. Bird because he's the villain and they're the good guys, but that's not the way the world works. Percy and Annabeth were sent on a reconnaissance mission, which requires stealth (which Annabeth possesses) and awesomeness (which they both possess). That means they're only allowed to observe the building, take note of suspicious activity, and report their findings.

They end up hiding behind a conveniently placed wall in a trashy neighborhood. Annabeth impatiently waits for something to happen, hoping the sighting of monsters isn't a false report. Percy is fulfilling his mission by staring at the doors to the clinic. The area surrounding the clinic is completely silent. From the looks of things, they might've gone to the wrong place. To ensure the whole mission isn't a waste of time, Percy decides to get a closer look. At that moment, a number of things happen.

Percy steps on a trap that was so glaringly obvious, he should've noticed it. The building explodes, glass shattering. Percy hangs upside down from a tree. The tree shouldn't have been there because the building is located in a concrete jungle of poverty, and trees aren't supposed to exist in concrete jungles of poverty. As it turns out, the tree's purpose is to be a trap. Percy manages to free himself anyway, sparing Annabeth of the need to save him.

A bunch of monsters surround Percy and Annabeth, laughing manically. They're also completely ignoring the ruins of the building and not caring about Mr. Bird's wellbeing. Unluckily for Mr. Bird, one of the monsters happened upon his trap and rigged it with a bomb that caused the building to explode. (How the monster managed to do that is still a mystery.) Luckily for Alice (his hired desk clerk), she's on vacation with her boyfriend and is probably enjoying life somewhere in Hawaii at the moment.

Mr. Bird isn't the strongest of villains, but he somehow manages to survive the explosion of his beloved building. He mourns the death of the building, thanks the fact that he's still alive, and orders the monsters to attack.

The monsters surrounding Percy and Annabeth charge. They're standing back to back, Percy wielding his sword and Annabeth grasping her dagger. Annabeth swirls and lunges and dodges with elegant movements, cutting down the enemy's numbers considerably. On his side, Percy grins. With expertly executed slashes and stabs, Percy also brings down the monsters aiming for his life.

Eventually, only Mr. Bird is left. Percy and Annabeth are barely sweating. Mr. Bird slowly tries to creep away as Percy and Annabeth argue about some pointless topic. He isn't able to escape, and the pair brings him back to Camp Half-Blood. They didn't execute the plan as sneakily as they hoped, but they're still capable of taking down a few stray villains here and there.

**4. Risk: a situation involving exposure to danger**

Some nights Annabeth's dreams are nightmares. She doesn't admit she's scared by some of them, especially the ones about Percy.

They're demigods, and danger comes with being a demigod. There are times when she resents being one because it means her safety isn't guaranteed. _Percy's_ safety isn't guaranteed.

Those nightmares feel real, incredibly so, when she thinks about a demigod's life and the dangers therein. One mistake is all it takes, and their relationship will be in ashes. Annabeth feels the risk of being a demigod and despises the fact that it can take Percy away from her.

**5. Yearn: having an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from**

Annabeth hasn't seen Percy in a while, and she's missing him. She likes staring up at the sky, admiring the rich blue color. But now, blue reminds her of the sea, and the sea reminds her of Percy. She settles for staring down at the grass, but the green only brings to mind Percy's enchanting sea green eyes. Everywhere Annabeth looks, all she can think about is Percy, and it's driving her crazy.

The click of the front door reaches Annabeth's ears. She listens to the pattering of feet and the sliding door behind her opening. It's Percy.

Uncharacteristically, it's Annabeth that hugs first and initiates the kiss.

"I missed you," she murmurs quietly, aware that Percy already knows her words even if he can't quite hear them.

Percy hugs Annabeth back, and she's reminded of the reason behind her "pointless" yearning once again.

**6. Crisis: a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger**

The battlefield is a mess of shouting, clashing weapons, spilling blood, and death. Amidst that chaos, it's difficult for Annabeth to keep track of Percy. She berates herself for wanting to keep track of him. Percy is completely capable of taking care of himself.

Enemies charge toward her. The first man rushes at Annabeth with a clumsy swing of his sword. Annabeth dodges and retaliates with a stab of her dagger. The next minion aims straight for her head. Annabeth blocks and counters quickly with a slash. Another man goes for a punch, but she sidesteps and knocks him out with a chop to the neck. She's being hounded by the enemies thinking bigger numbers will give them the advantage, and by the time she deals with them all, she has no idea where Percy is. A nagging feeling stays with her, and she can't help but wonder how he's doing.

Annabeth travels across the battlefield, searching for Percy. She takes down enemies as she goes along, never letting herself get injured. Just as she thinks she's searched everywhere, loud shouting off to the side catches her attention. Annabeth isn't sure how she didn't notice it before, but now she sees the groups of people ganging up on Percy.

For a moment, she admires Percy's magnificent swordsmanship, how he effortlessly strikes and parries. One man sneaks up behind Percy, raising his axe. Annabeth knows Percy will be aware of the enemy's presence before he's hit, but Annabeth goes anyway. She wards off the blow and counters with a strike of her own. Annabeth feels kind of silly for worrying about Percy when he's obviously doing fine.

Percy glances at Annabeth. They're standing back to back, and it's the most comfortable Annabeth will ever feel during a real fight. She's reassured when she hears Percy's unsaid words: _Thanks for watching my back_.

**7. Home: the place where one lives**

At seven, Annabeth feels for the first time that she really belongs. That's when she meets Thalia and Luke; they're three teenagers fending for themselves, but it's fun. Then, they arrive at Camp Half-Blood. It's the first place she feels she really belongs. She's accepted there, and that's what she's wanted all along. She's satisfied at camp until Percy comes along.

When she's twelve, Percy intrudes in Annabeth's life and turns it upside down. At first, he's annoying but he gradually grows on her. She's sixteen when she reluctantly gives up on saving Luke and admits to maybe liking Percy.

Now she's older and more experienced, but Camp Half-Blood is still the first place she feels she really belongs, and no place will ever steal that position.

More importantly, Percy Jackson is the first and last person she's ever loved with all her heart, and no one will ever steal that position.

**8. Real: not imagined or supposed**

Thinking logically, being demigods seems so surreal. In fact, when Annabeth looks back, all the situations she's ever faced feel so fake now. She's not sure if she's been living in a dream up until now anymore.

She's retired and no longer actively participating in camp activities like fighting, prophecies, and quests. She's mostly separated now, so it's difficult to confirm the truth of her youth.

The occasional monster visit is always a reminder, but she's growing annoyed of them.

Percy is always a refreshing reminder because he's experienced the same dangers as her and understands her. She's glad that Percy's with her when she's reflecting back on her childhood.

**9. Insanity: madness**

Most days Percy acts outrageously stupid, and Annabeth wonders why she's dating him. Sometimes he shows some of his hidden brilliance, and Annabeth feels proud. All the other days, Percy blurs the line between idiocy and ingenuity. Today is one of those days where Annabeth isn't quite sure if Percy's being smart or not.

She's really starting to question why she's dating Percy when he slings an arm over her shoulder. He smiles down at her (she refuses to admit that she blushed). It's all the encouragement she needs for her to stop questioning.

**10. Savior: a person who saves someone**

Annabeth wasn't quite sure what to do with herself after Luke's betrayal. She dismissed the obvious signs because she didn't want Luke to leave. She's even more unsure now because...

...He's gone.

Annabeth's confused about her feelings, and she's suddenly seven years old all over again. Deep down inside, buried under layers of masks and shields, she wants someone to come and save her, to tell her what she should do – like the upgraded version of a knight in shining armor – but the prideful part of her scoffs at the thought. _"A knight in shining armor"? What am I, a child? _The warring parts of her only serve to confuse her more.

She ends up sitting beside Percy near the lake. She finally gathers up the courage to ask what Percy thinks about Luke.

"After all that's happened, that's what you're worried about?" he replies.

Annabeth slaps him for treating the matter lightly, so he gives her an honest answer.

"Luke might have betrayed us, but he was a good guy. There's no need to feel bad about his death."

Annabeth looks at Percy for a few tense moments. The corners of her mouth twitch. To think her knight was right here the whole time...

**11. Tears: the state or action of crying**

A heavy burden weighs on her heart. It's been there since she dug the small grave. She's standing where his ashes were scattered. She knows people are watching.

But the sadness starts to overflow, and the intense burning behind her eyes increases. The tears are practically begging to slip through.

Her pride still tells her: _stay strong, don't cry, don't embarrass yourself in front of all these people_. It's her fatal flaw, a characteristic that's undoubtedly a part of her. But this time, she's thinking, _Screw pride._ Because it's only a matter of time until someone breaks down and cries, no matter how strong or prideful that person is.

It's true for her, too. With him gone, carrying on is nearly unbearable. Cracks are appearing on her tough exterior, which has become as delicate as china. Soon, the cracks will become gaping holes.

Then, the whole facade will shatter, and the belated tears will finally start to fall.

**12. Molten: liquefied by heat**

In this moment, it's just the two of them. Nothing else exists.

Lips lock. Limbs intertwine. Tongues dance.

Desperate hands grasp hair. Bodies are pulled impossibly closer.

They relish this shared memory.

They soothe each other's wounds. They're absorbed in kissing each other to quell the pain of loss.

Contradicting feelings course through their bodies, as if they're freezing and burning at the same time.

**13. Anxious: experiencing worry**

They're getting married today. Obviously, Annabeth is excited but she's also nervous. Getting married is much more serious than dating.

She's been fretting since the date was announced. She's still fidgeting even as she's changing into her wedding dress. She's still fidgeting as she enters the building.

When she sees Percy, her agitation disappears. All that remains is elation.

**14. Same: identical**

They aren't the most perfect couple in the universe. They clash and argue and fight.

But they care for each other. They're loyal to each other. Most of all, they love each other. That's enough to make them the same as the most perfect couple in the universe.


End file.
